Sri Lanka Holiday Packages

Updated on February 18, 2011

Sri Lanka Holiday Packages to relax and enjoy

Huge Demand for Holiday Packages to Sri Lanka

The demand for holiday packages to Sri Lanka are increasing at a rapid rate and with the number of tourists arrivals predicted to increase more the demand will go even higher. There are number of advantages of using a holiday package over planning your own trip and I will discuss those in detail in this article. Sri Lanka is a country with lots of things to see and lots of activities to do, and if you are visiting from another country it is very hard to decide what are the best places to visit in Sri Lanka. Most tour operators have several packages to suit most people preferences. In general they could be categorized as wildlife tours, cultural heritage tours, Nature Tours, boutique hotel tours, Adventure tours and mix tours which consists of parts of everything mentioned above. If you are a small group you have the ability to customize your trip to your specific needs as well, although top tour operators are bit reluctant to allow this.

Advantages of Joining a Holiday Package

Listed below are some of the advantages and benefits you will enjoy if you join a tour package.

Strength in Numbers - This is especially advantageous if you are visiting Sri Lanka as a couple or alone. You have people for company, usually from your own country so you can quickly connect with them. You would feel much safer and you can always ask for instructions and use each other expertise when making decisions.

Cost Reductions - Since you are traveling as a group your cost of traveling will be lower and some times you will get discounts for hotels etc. Also you can enjoy benefits at shopping malls and souvenir shops where you have buy two get one free offers etc.

Guided Tour - Holiday Packages come with a tour guide certified by the Tourism ministry, so you will learn a lot about the places you visit and most of them are fluent in few languages so you will have less trouble communication. Also they will take you to certified stores so you can avoid buying fake items and also paying high price for relatively cheap items.

Hassle Free - Everything is done for you,hotel bookings , tickets for various attractions, travel arrangements, special permission required to visit some sites are all done for you. All you have to do is follow the guide and have a relaxing time, if you have organized a tour before you will know how beneficial this is.

Sri Lanka Wildlife and Bird Watching Guides

Wildlife Tours and Holiday Packages in Sri Lanka

Although a relatively small country Sri Lanka has over 50 wildlife parks and nature reserves and watching wildlife is among the most popular activities among tourists. The duration of wildlife tours varies from 3-10 days depending on your selected tour guide. A usual tour include Leopard watching in Yala National Park, Elephant watching in Udawalawe,Minneriya or Kawdulla National Park, Bird watching in Kumana bird santuary, visit to the Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage where you can feed baby Elephants and sometimes Dolphin and Whale watching in Kalpitiya. As you can see an ideal tour for nature and wildlife lovers.

Cultural Heritages Holiday Tour packages in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka has eight world heritage sites and six of them are cultural world heritage sites. With over 2000 years of written history there are many historic places to see in Sri Lanka. The duration of a cultural holiday package varies depending on the places you are visiting and sometime it can take more than 10 days as well. This is a holiday package where a certified tour guide is essential because there is lots of history and details to know about these places. A typical tour will include visits to Sigiriay Rock fortress, Dumbulla Rock Temple, Ancient city of Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Kandy which are all world heritage sites. Addition to that the tour might include visits to various towns and villages renowned for different crafts like pottery, mask making, bronze and silver item making, batik making etc.

Sri Lanka Travel Guides at Amazon

More Links about Ancient Places in Sri Lanka

Must see ancient places in Sri LankaMust visit ancient places in Sri Lanka,tourists who love visiting historic sites would love to know about these places,some of the must visit ancient sites with world heritage sites included

Nalanda Gedige in Sri LankaNalanda Gedige old stone building believed to be in the center of Sri Lanka, Beautiful and unique stone carvings, some only found here in Sri Lanka

White water rafting in Sri Lanka is very popular among tourists

Adventure Holiday Tour Packages in Sri Lanka

Adventure tourism in Sri Lanka is on the rise and there are companies formed specifically for this. The most popular adventure sport among tourists is windsurfing and surfing with Arugam Bay considered one of the top surfing destinations in the world. Snorkeling, diving, speed boating and jet skiing are few other popular activities near the beach.White water rafting is another popular activity enjoyed by most tourists. There are places where you can go rock climbing etc but those are not that popular and rarely included in an adventure tour. A typical tour includes white water rafting inland and then beach activities.

Nature Holiday Tour Packages in Sri Lanka

Nature Holiday tours mostly take you to the central mountains where you can see beautiful waterfalls, go trekking through beautiful mountain forests, visit beautiful mountain tops, walking through tea plantations etc. The highlight of these tours are watching waterfalls. There are many beautiful waterfalls like St. Clair's, Devon, Diyaluma, Dunhinda, Bamabarakanda that are absolutely worth watching. Trekking usually include a trip to Sinharaja forest reserve or Horton plains national park, both of which are world heritage sites.

Video of some Waterfalls in Sri Lanka

Boutique Hotel Holiday Tour Packages

These are some of the most expensive holiday packages in Sri Lanka. These tours are focused on relaxing in luxurious boutique hotels where you will be pampered to the limit. As with most boutique hotels you will get personalized service and you have the ability to enjoy Ayurveda baths, massages and spa treatments. All the modern facilities including cable TV, Internet and satellite phone are available to guests.

What do you think is the best kind of holiday package to explore Sri Lanka ?

Sri Lanka Holiday Packages from India

India is the closest country to Sri Lanka and there are many similarities in culture, customs and food. Because India is so close to Sri Lanka and also because of many cheap flights available the travel cost is very minimum. Indians are used to spicy food so there isn't much to worry about food as well. Although not fluent most Sri Lankans have some basic knowledge of Tamil so it is much easier to communicate as well. A great way for Indian to have a relaxing holiday without breaking the bank. There are travel companies in almost all the major cities that offer holiday packages to Sri Lanka and you have great chance of getting a good deal because of the competition as well.